There’s nothing quite like your husband’s big 30 to get your creative baking juices going! And as he’s a big chocolate fan it felt like the perfect time to try a black forest themed entremet.  It came out better than expected, light in texture, rich in flavour and I think may be one of my best bakes yet!

Black Forest Entremet

Makes: Roughly 8″ round cake
Time: 5-6 hours + lots of chilling time

This recipe will require the following elements:

• 2 layers of chocolate sponge
• Kirsch
• Cherry jam
• Chocolate mousse
• Vanilla Bavarois
• Dark chocolate mirror glaze
• Mini meringues and fresh cherries to decorate

Equipment: You will need to cake rings one sized 6” and the other 8”

Chocolate Sponge

• 200g whole eggs (roughly 4)
• 50g egg yolks
• 80g caster sugar
• 25g cornflower
• 30g cocoa powder
• 100g unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 190°C and line a 30 x 40cm flat baking tray with a non-stick baking paper.

Make a Sabayon by putting the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a clean bowl and whisking the mix over a bain-marie to 37°C. Remove the bowl from the pan of water and continue to whisk until it reaches the ribbon stage (Lift the whisk and the mix should fall back on itself and a trail will be left across the surface that should hold shape for a moment, before sinking back into the mix).

Carefully fold the sifted flour, cocoa and cornflour into the Sabayon using a spatula. When it is around three quarters folded through take 2 large scoops of the Sabayon and mix it into the melted butter. Then add the butter mix into the Sabayon and fold through until fully incorporated. Pour the mix onto two lined baking tray, spreading evenly with a palette knife and bake in a pre-heated oven for 12-15 mins. You’ll know when it’s done as the sponge will be golden brown and spring back when pressed gently.  Leave to cool and then use immediately or freeze for up to a month.

Chocolate mousse

• 150 ml Whipping Cream
• 45g Caster Sugar
• 25ml Water
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1/2 egg white
• 110g 70% dark chocolate

Whisk the whipping cream until it reaches soft peaks. Place the sheet of gelatine in a bowl of cold water until it softens and then remove excess water and put aside. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie over a simmering saucepan of water, stirring frequently until mixture is smooth.  Remove from the heat and add the gelatine, stirring until mixture is smooth and glossy. Whisk in the egg yolks and then leave to cool for 5 minutes. Fold in the whipped cream.

Finally whisk your egg whites until they reach stiff peaks and the fold in your chocolate mix gently until fully incorporated.  Use immediately.

Vanilla Bavarois cream

• 500ml milk
• 1 vanilla pod
• 80g egg yolks (about 4)
• 80g caster sugar
• 12g gelatine
• 450ml whipping cream

Start by making a custard: Put the milk into a saucepan, scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and then put this as well as the pod into the pan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile in a mixing bowl start whisking together the egg yolks and sugar until they are well combined and light in colour.  Pour half of the boiled milk mix onto the eggs and mix well. Return this back to the saucepan of milk and stir with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking until it thickens (coats the back of a spoon) and reaches a temp of 82-84 °C.

Soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes until it softens. Squeeze out excess water and add to custard. Strain the custard into a bowl set in an ice bain marie (once the custard is cool take it out of the ice otherwise it will set). In a separate bowl whip the cream to ribbon stage and fold this into the cooled custard. Use immediately.

Dark chocolate mirror glaze

• 12g gelatine
• 160ml water
• 80g caster sugar
• 160g liquid glucose
• 105ml double cream
• 160g dark chocolate finely chopped

Soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 3-4 minutes until it softens and then squeeze out the excess water.  Put the puree, sugar and liquid glucose in a small saucepan and bring to the boil until your thermometer reaches 103 degrees. Put the finely chopped chocolate into a bowl. Add the cream and gelatine to the mix in the saucepan and then pour this over the dark chocolate and blitz with a hand-held blender. Poor into a jug and leave the mix to cool down to 33-34 degrees (anything higher will melt the mousse!).

Assembly:

• Cut your two sponges to fit the 6” cake ring
• Place one inside the cake ring + brush with some Kirsch
• Warm up your cherry jam for 10-20 secs in the microwave and brush this over the sponge
• Pour in half of your chocolate mousse
• Put your second sponge on top of the chocolate mousse
• Brush over Kirsh and more cherry jam if you like
• Pour in the second half of the chocolate mousse
• Cover with Clingfilm and then place in the freezer for 1.5-2hrs until set/firm
• Line the outside bottom of your larger cake ring and place on a plate
• Demould the insert from the freezer and brush off any ice
• Place the insert into the middle of the cake ring
• Pour the Vanilla Bavarois around the insert and over the top – use a palette knife to smooth it on top
• Cover with Clingfilm and freeze for 5 hours/ overnight
• Take the entremet out of the freezer, de-mould and gently brush off any ice that may have formed on top of the mousse.
• Pop the entremet on top of a small cake tin in a clean tray.
• Make sure the mirror glaze is between 28-30 degrees and then pour over the cake ensuring good coverage. Leave for 20 mins and then transfer on to a cake board and leave in the fridge to fully defrost for 6-8hrs.
• Decorate just before serving